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Back to the Flax – 10 Design Academy Eindhoven students – returns with a new chapter of their multi-year project at Kazerne. The flax has been harvested; now begins the phase of experimentation and research. This year, they focus on cord and knot.
Plant – Fiber – Yarn – Rope
Flax, once a staple in European daily life, has gradually faded out of sight. However, there is untapped potential as a sustainable and circular material waiting to be explored.
During DDW 2026, the Back to the Flax collective presents its process and insights at Kazerne for the sixth time. While searching for ways to locally spin freshly harvested raw flax fibers into usable yarn, the collective came across the related craft of rope-making, one of humanity’s oldest techniques.
Back to the Flax #6 therefore centers on cord and knot. What does it mean today to make rope by hand, from locally grown fibers, for applications yet to be discovered? Through twisted experiments and a collective way of working, they explore what an ancient craft might become when taken up again, from scratch.
Back to the Flax: the collective
On a 1,000 m² plot in Eindhoven’s Gijzenrooi, Back to the Flax grows, harvests and processes flax. Here, they repeatedly return to the roots, using research and experimentation to reintroduce the material in a modern context. From linseed to crop, and from linen to building materials, in nature-inclusive applications.
By exploring both traditional and experimental techniques, each member brings their own background and personal approach to the material, revealing its many stories and possibilities. By placing the process at the center, the collective celebrates the beauty of movement, the wisdom of ancient knowledge, and the revival of traditional craftsmanship.
Community activation and collaboration are integral to the project. Through workshops the collective connects people with local agriculture and craft, encouraging a deeper connection with the roots of the landscape.
Looking ahead, Back to the Flax aims to expand its community and develop new ways of integrating natural fibers and traditional craftsmanship into its designs, bridging heritage and innovation while reconnecting people with the materials found in their own surroundings.
Participants Back to the Flax #6
Corentin Berthomé
Elisabeth Teje Duis
Filip Kubiny
Guilain Delanoue
Karin Borovcová
Linde van Vlijmen
Lucas van Vuuren
Mika Fuchs
Monique Simon
Primo Arets
